Mom's Wish
by blackrosepb
Summary: Alice cracks her new skateboard in two when her best friend Grant randomly meets her in the middle of the road. The two end up battling through Alice's dream, messages from her mother, to find out who Alice really is and how to stop the people who want to hurt her.


PROLOGUE

The circle of women laughed. They were crowded around a girl. She was young, dressed in a feathery gown that was the color of a deep rose. She was laying in a heap crying, trying to hide her face behind her curls. Her wild brown hair waved in everywhich direction.

The women, dressed in the same feather style of dress, hair all pinned up in the same exact bun, parted. A woman with brilliant ginger hair, her dress was the color of a canary, walked through the break in the circle. She walked up to the distressed girl, a knife poised in mid air. The girl looked up, she gasped through her tear stained face, stricken with horror. A sound escaped the girls mouth, barely heard as more than a whisper, the word why.

The woman leaned into her, whispered into the girls ear, then straightened back up, a smile on her face and the girl had taken on an new face. A face full of anger, grief, sadness, and fear. The girl tried to get up to escape, but the woman kicked her back down. The woman straddled the young girl saying in a sing song voice, "Not so fast, my darling."

The woman laughed while the screams of the girl made crows fly from the trees that surrounded them. The woman reached forward without anymore delay and slid the knife into the girls throat, slicing from the bottom all the way up till the knife got lodged in the bottom of the girl's chin. They both collasped.

Chapter One

If my day could get any worse, it would be the fact that my favorite skateboard would break before I got home. And of course it did. I was jumping off the curb to cross the street and the axle just completly shattered. Great.

My day pretty much sucked. I had to go through five hours of nagging torture from my classmates because of my skinnys, chucks, chains, piercings, my all in all black attire, the list never ends. I'm sorry, Aeropostal and Gucci doesn't surface to me as attractive. As everyone else likes to put it, I have a darkside. Haha! That's funny, but kind of true, I guess in a way.

My bangs, damp from the rain, fell in front of my right eye as I bent down to pick of the remains of my board. A car skidded to a stop in front of me and a car door opened. A guy emerged from the black Mustang . He was, how do I put this lightly... Extremely sexy! From emo heaven! Faded red and black skinnys, Emery tee, gauges, black hair that came right down over top of his right eye, kind of like mine but my bangs were a tad longer and recently died green. Though I have never seen this kid around here before.

"Do you need help?" He asked, taking my free hand and helping me stand up.

"N-no," I studdered as he took the skateboard remains from me, ignoring my answer.

"Will you let me drive you home then?" He looked down on me.

"My dad isn't home, and I was going to get chinese food for when he came home. But thank you."

"Allow me?" Was he being serious right now?

"Well for starters, I have no clue who you are, nor have I ever seen you around here."

"My names Grant," He replied chuckling, "And I just moved here with my brother. He's had legal cutody of me for about two years now and he's finialy got everything finacialy stable for him to go to college. My parents died, so I was left with him or a foster home, and that wasn't happening."

"I'm so sorry, and I'm Alice," I said feeling kind of like a douche.

"Don't mention it, so tell me, how do we get to the chinese place?"

I told him I'd order it when I got home, though I did need to go the grocery store. I gave him directions and we got there safely. He drove insanely fast, I was relieved when the car stopped. My face must have shown my relief because he started chuckling again. I told him I'd only be a moment but he insisted on comming in with me, so I made him push the cart.

When we finished we went to my house and he carried in my bags without my approval. He sat in a chair at the breakfast bar while I put the groceries away. I flicked on my sterio and blared the heaviest scremo I owned. Though hoping to scare Grant off, it did quite the opposite. My luck would be that it was his favorite band, and it was.

"So are you going to go to school here?" I asked, hoping he was still in high school.

"Yes, I'm a senior, I picked up my schedule today, and I start tomorow," He replied, "What classes are you taking?"

"Well, I'm only a sophmore, but I'm taking college algebra, AP music theory, honors theatre II, AP biology, and honors art II," I said trying not to sound to nerdy.

"Well we might have algebra together and biology," He scratched his head, "Do you have Kishner and Thaggard?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well then that's awesome because I'll know at least one cool person to hang with," He smiled.

"Oh, I'm not that great," I said.

"Got any friends?" He asked.

Great he was allready trying to get rid of me for my friends. But that wasn't happening. I wouldn't consider myself friendless but I don't really have any cross your fingers type close people to hang with. I knew it would be too good to be true that the hottest guy on the planet would be interested in me. He'd just follow me to my house, be a gentleman, learn a few new names and leave.

He must have taken my silence as a no and said, "Well you can count me as one, and by the disgusted look on your face the people around here must be terrible."

"You don't even know me! I'm a freak! An outcast! And in time you'll hate me like everyone else, even my father refuses to look at me!" I snapped, "So don't come to my house to make me think that you actually think that I'm worth talking to then leaving me in the dust while you go and hang with other people! And honestly I have no friends because I'd rather spend my life online getting my clothes from Hot Topic from another city, than shopping in pastel colored designer crap from the lousy mall here!"

"I wasn't going to ditch you," He said softly, he stood up and walked towards me, "And I think your very pretty and I love your clothes, your father should be proud. You listen to the most awesomest music on the planet, and your very talented," he nodded to the broken skateboard on the floor, "I'd fall before I even stood on it. Plus, I wouldn't have followed you inside at least if I hadn't found you cool enough at the store, and offered you a ride if you weren't wearing those skinnys, chucks and tee."

For the first time that I can remember I smiled, "So you like me because I yell at an old lady to move in the middle of the canned food aisle and my clothes?"

"Plus your awesome green bangs and long blonde hair," he chuckled, "I always thought about going blonde. Haha but I'm judging by the horrid look on your face that, that's a bad idea."

I nodded quickly in agreement. The thought of him going anything lighter than the pitch black hair he has now scared me. I smiled a little too much when he pulled out the chair next to him and motioned for me to sit down as he did the same.

"So, did you have anything planned tonight?" He asked, I shook my head, "Do you mind if I stay a little while? I want to get to know you better." He smiled.

"No, my dad won't be home till ten, so you'll be fine," I said, "What do you want to do?"

"Well what do you like to do?" He asked in reply.

"I like jamming out on my bass, my life basically revolves around music, skating though I think I'm going to need a new board, hm oh and I like painting."

"You like painting? That's cool! You should show me a picture." He smiled.

I lead him up the stairs, almost falling backwards on him when I tripped halfway up, to my bedroom. I opened my door, which was plastered with band posters, to my midnight blue walls and black interior.

The single rose in a vase on the table beside my bed was almost dead. Clothes, including under garments, were thrown everywhere. Papers were sprawled all over my desk. The only neat piece in my room was my gigantic bookshelf with a thousand books in alphabetical order.

I lead him to my closet and opened it. Inside was an easel with a half painted portrait of my favorite singer. There was a little shelf with every color of paint imaginable and every size brush. I had the materials to paint a house if I wanted to.

In the back was a couple paintings I had finished in the last few weeks. Usually after they start piling up I take them to my grandmothers who stores them for me. She sells some when I need new materials, since she liked for me to have responsiblity for myself."

"Is that all you have?" He asked, seeing the few I had.

"Yea, my dad doesn't quite like the fact that I paint," I replied cautiously choosing my words.

"Why not? These are amazing! Is that Danny Worsnop?" He said as he looked over my paintings and saw my unfinished one.

"Yea," I replied, "He's got his sexy voice back, now that he's out of rehab." I gasped at my choice of words.

"Haha yea," He smiled.

"Well um," I said a little to mushed together, "This is basically what I spend my days doing. Or I read, or go for a ride, though only near sunset because everyones usually in the middle of something inside."

"Are the people here that bad?" He asked, "That you have to avoid them?"

"Well, they don't really like my choice of things. I'm an outcast, and I've allready told you I'm a freak."

"Your not a freak, trust me. I've known you for an hour? I don't know but your pretty freaking awesome. And where I come from my brother and I are freaks, so your not alone."

"Really?" He nodded in reply, "I don't think I could imagine that. Where did you come from?"

"A small community like this one a few states over."

"Oh, nice. Well now you know what I like to do, now it's your turn. What do you like to do?"

"Well," He said as we made our way out of my closet. He sat on my bed, and I leaned akwardly aganist the wall beside it. He patted beside him and I sat down. He streched and laid out and then continued, "I like to play my guitar, and my life is music haha, ironic huh? Everyone always gushes oh my life revolves around music, but they have not a single musical bone in their body. They can't actually relate to the music, they just want to sing the loudest and memorize the most lyrics. Which is another thing I like about scremo and metal, no one knows it, or can understand it for that matter. Unless of course its what you listen to, then the lyrics come naturally, I guess."

I nodded in understandment as he continued, "And well I used to hang out with a small group of my friends that I had brought to the 'dark side'," I smiled at the resembelance, "And my girlfriend, till she cheated on me with my best friend. Then I kind of lost it. But otherwise I used to read a lot, though only manga, and the only comics I can stand is Batman. He's the best!"

I ended up laying beside him and we talked and laughed for a while. And by a while I mean a while. Like five hours to be exact.

My dad crashed through the door and I straightened up. My dad came up the stairs and came through my open door before I could say anything to Grant.

"Why the hell do you have a boy in your room?" He asked. The way his words slurred I knew he had been at the bar.

"I was just leaving sir," Grant stood up to leave but my dad stood in the door way.

"The fuck you were. I'll tell you this one time, if I ever catch you in my house again I'll cut your dick off. Now get the fuck out of here!" Grant walked fastly out of the house. "Now for you, you little whore, if I ever find another boy in this house again I will skin you alive! You hear me?"

His hands clenched on the front of my shirt, his alcohol breath was intoxicating, and he spit in my face. He told me to get a shower and order fix somthing to eat since my "filthy dumb ass whore of a self" didn't know how to order food. I fixed cheeseburgers and french fries, something quick and simple since my day was just ruined.

Grant will probably never talk to me again. Great, I find a friend then my dad comes home drunk. Usually he only comes home drunk on fridays and saturdays, to stay sober for work, today was only tuesday.

There was many reasons my dad claims drinking soothes him. One was me, a shitty whore of a daughter who'd rather wear chains to strangle people with than diamonds to attract them. Two, economy, money shortage and the bills. Three, my mom, she left him years ago. Four, because he meets guys, and strippers. Five, he can't remember any of it.

I took a shower and went to my bedroom. I climbed in bed realizing I didn't even get his number. The altimate fail to make sure you never talk to someone again.

The next morning, I woke up and went downstairs. A note on the breakfast bar left me know that my dad had left earlier than expected for work, and that his breakfast dishes were in the sink for me to wash before he got home at 10:30 tonight. Also on the note was a reminder that I better not have anyone in the house while he was gone, unless he approved of first. But I don't know who I was supposed to have over, since he scared away the only person who might've been my friend, who might've been able to understand me.

I got ready for school, skipping breakfast, and the dishes. I straightened my hair, blacked my eyes out with eye liner and black eye shadow, reserving my eye lashes for neon blue mascara. I put on a black v-neck with a skull on the tummy, with black skinnys. I heard a knock on the door as I walked down the stairs. I opened it up, not expecting who I saw there.

It was Grant. Great. Smoking hot in a green and black v-neck and skinnys to match mine. I asked him what was up.

"Well, I drove by and noticed that your dad's truck wasn't here," He started, "And I remembered how yesterday your skateboard broke, and it didn't seem like you had a second one. So I wanted to offer you a ride to school, then maybe you could show me around?"

"No thanks," I denied, "I can walk, and the woman in the front will show you around if you need someone too. It's ok you know?"

"What's ok?" He sounded confused, but I know it was just an act.

"I don't need a pity party. Just because I don't have any friends doesn't mean you have to be nice."

"So you think I'm just feeling sorry for you?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm not, and it kind of hurts that you would think that. But none the less, your a pretty cool chick, and by that I mean your cool and your pretty," He smiled.

"Well, you can't deny it was such a coincidence that you almost ran me over yesterday," I chided.

"I wasn't any where close to hitting you," Grant smiled.

"Oh, ok," I flirted, or at least I think that was what it was. I've never had the chance to flirt with anyone.

"Well, can I come in, it's a little chilly out. And by the way I am taking you to school. You no longer have a choice."

I sighed and he chuckled. I finished getting ready, grabbing my books and chucks, allowing him to lead me out to his car. I put my chucks on as he pulled away. He told me he was nervous about going to school here. I would to if I were him, everyone's so preppy and creepy it gives me cold chills.

We got to school about twenty mintes early so I decided to show him around anyways. We stopped in the office and checked him in and then we were off. He had college algebra, with me, AP english, Guitar Lab IIII, AP biology, and honors creative writting. I showed him his classes and landed us in Kishners classroom with five minutes to spare. We quickly claimed two seats beside each other in the middle row, while late comers had to sit in the front.

Mr. Kishner came in as the bell rang and closed the door in some kids face. He pointed towards the office, indicating the kid wasn't going to come in till he had a late note. Grant smiled to himself, and I nudged his arm.

"Oh, and we have a new student," Kishner aknoledged, "Everyone will stand and say their name and a hobby they enjoy. Alice you can start, leaving him for last."

Either Kishner didn't know Grant's name or he was trying to create suspense for everyone else, but this is Kishner we're talking about, not a horror movie director.

I stood up slowly and said, "I'm Alice, and I like," Some one cut me off and choked out "cutting myself under their breath while everyone snickered, "To play my bass and paint my nails pretty little pastal colors that go great with my tan!"

Grant chuckled, everyone else just stared at me. Okay maybe I said that last part a little too prefectly of a teenage prepy cheerleader. We went around the room, everyone trying to be impressive, in other words make themselves sound like even bigger whores, ending with Grant, as promised by Kishner.

Grant stood up, his hair falling in his eyes, making him look even hotter. I noticed some of the girls gawking. Ok this is new, and I most likely won't get used to the same girls who get on me everyday for being me are daydreaming about the most emoest guy in the tri-state area, even if he is pretty hot. "I'm Grant, and I like spending time with a amazingly beautiful chick I met yesterday." He smiled.

"Aw, isn't that sweet, we have a lover boy in our class," Kishner said, the girls still swooning over Grant, "Just remember Romeo, this is algebra, not english romance."

Kishner slammed a ruler down on his desk, making a few girls jump out of ther trance and causing others to wipe the drool off the corners of their mouths. The rest of the class sucked. So did every single one after that; including my other class with Grant fourth period biology with Thaggard.

When the finial bell rang I headed to my locker. I grabbed my homework, put it in my bag, and then locked my locker and started to leave. Grant was coming up the hallway stopping me as I walked parallel from him.

"Hey Alice! Um, do you want me to maybe drive you home?" Grant asked, puting his hands in his pockets.

"Okay," I smiled.

He led me out to his car and I climbed in the passengers seat. Flashes of my father coming home early and waiting to see if I came home with a boy kept running through my mind. Spies, trip wires, weight plates, poisionus foods, guard dogs all haunted my mind. But when we arrived at the house my grandmother's car was parked out front.

I forgot today was tuesday, she always comes over on tuesdays to pick up more paintings and drop of more supplies. This is how stupid I am. I had Grant drop me off at the corner of my street; I would walk from there. As I was climbing out of the door, Grant grabbed my hand and called my name.

"Yes?" I replied, blushing just the slightest.

"Here's my number, call me later ok?" He handed me a piece of paper from his pocket. I told him I would as he drived away.

I tucked the piece of paper saftely inside my back pocket as I walked to my house. My grandmother was making diner when I walked through the door. New paint brushes, and a few other colors of paint lay on the kitchen table.

"Guess what?" She asked excitedly, dropping the whisk in the bowl of paste that had a green tint to it.

"Your making tofu?" I asked my vegetarian old relative.

"Kind of, but not really, this is less nasty," She gave the bowl a look over, "But you know that guy that bought your beach picture? The really tall bald one?" I nodded. "His son, about your age, blond hair, blue eyes, really cute, you might know him. Um, what was his name... Travis Coleman! That was his name. Anyways, Travis took a picture while he was at the beach the last time, he's really into photography, and he wants you to paint it."

Not only did my grandmother just tell me that the most gorgeous guy in my highschool wanted me to paint him a picture, but the tough jock was into photography? It was hard to believe that he'd take pictures of anything but female parts. "Where's the picture?" I asked.

She handed it to me, and even I'll admit the picture was superb. The contours of the lines were perfectly clear, it'd be really easy to paint. I estimated about four days and told her to come over and pick it up friday.

My dad showed up early, as I had expected, tromping into the kitchen right when my grandmother and I were finishing up dishes. I had put the supplies away and the paintings into my grandmother's car allready, in case he did show early. Grandmother handed my father a plate of tofu and scallop potatoes as he sat down at the table.

"You didn't bring any friends over today Alice?" He asked, I shook my head. He was sober but still lethal, even if my grandmother was still here. "Oh, usually you bring someone over."

"You told me I was grounded last night and couldn't have anyone over," I tried to play safe.

"I never said you were grounded, I told you to only have people over when you ask permission first. I don't want you invited some rapist into our house."

"But I'm not dumb enough to do that, so I don't know what the big deal was last night." Ok, so I lost my patience a little. Since I obviously know that the big deal last night was that he was wasted.

"The big deal was that I don't know him and I didn't want him getting the wrong ideas. Plus you didn't do any of your chores or order dinner like I asked you to."

"I'm sorry," I decided to apologize to try to get off the hook from "talking back" as he later would call it as he punched me or something.

"Next time, ask first."

My dad is strict, maybe because he doesn't like me. No wait, that's an understatement, he hates me. He thinks that my mom left him because of me, that's why she left me with him, she supposedly can't stand me. I wouldn't know, she left before I was a year old. Or maybe he hates me because I dress like a freak. Ha! Like any of it matters.

I have no pictures of my mom, I only know that she was very young when her and my father got married. She didn't finish highschool, she was too busy taking care of a baby, me. She dropped out as a junior. Her parent's disowned her, left her with no where to go other than to marry my father and move in with him. They moved into this house. My father doesn't have the money to move anywhere else, spends it on booze and wasted pink dresses I refuse to wear.

My mothers name is Annabelle, everyone called her Anna or Belle. Sometimes they nicknamed her the liberty bell because of her old fashioned history interest. Her favorite color is red and her favorite food is fried fish and french fries. That's about all I know about her, or at least that's all I've gotten out of my dad.

I went up and went into my closet, hoping my grandmother would entertain my father for a little bit so I can start sketching out the picture while I called Grant.


End file.
